Dear Skye
by KatBauer
Summary: "I love watching you sleep. But it's been too long now. Please, please, wake up."
1. Wake up

**A/N:** This is my first ever attempt at writing Skimmons, so please be gentle! Jemma is not an easy character to write for me, so my apologies if she sounds too OOC.  
**  
NandaSC**, this one is for you. I hope you like it! :)

**ETA:** I've been coerced into writing another chapter for this, so I will do my best to post it within the next few days.

* * *

"I love watching you sleep. How your chest rises and falls with every breath you take, the steady rhythm of your heartbeat, the comforting warmth of your skin. But it's been too long now. Please, please, wake up."

_Dear Skye,_

_It's been 48 hours, or 2880 minutes or 172800 seconds, since we injected you with the serum. And you are still not awake. _

_Your hands are warmer, so that's an improvement. But you won't hold mine back. So I'm not sure how much of an improvement that is._  
_  
Your heart beat is as strong as it has ever been. And I know this because I personally monitor your vitals every hour, much to your nurse and doctor's disapproval, I might add. Apparently, three PHDs in fields these people can't even pronounce, mean nothing to them._

_On the bright side, you no longer look pasty. There appears to be a faint blush on your cheeks, and your lips are back to their normal, healthy colour. Not that I've been staring at them for what it might be considered an inappropriate amount of time. I am simply making sure you are, in fact, recovering!_

_According to your doctor, the worst is now behind us and you are on your way to recovery. The serum worked and you should be awake by now... _

_So why aren't you?_

_I miss your voice, and your laughter, and the colour of your eyes. I miss your silly jokes and having to swat your hand away every time you attempt to touch the holotable. But mostly, I just miss you._

_Please, Skye, you have to give me something to work with. Keeping you alive inside that hyperbaric chamber was relatively easy compared to this. At least then I knew what I had to do... Maintain stabilized pressure, make sure you were still breathing..._

* * *

"Jemma?"

She snaps her head up, startled, and the journal she's been writing on falls off her lap and onto the floor.

"Oh, hello there, sir. I didn't hear you coming," she says as she scrambles up to her feet after picking up her things from the floor, a light blush creeping up her cheeks.

"Any news?" Coulson asks, his eyes drifting to Skye, who is lying on the bed, looking peacefully asleep.

Jemma shakes her head no, and then realizes that Coulson is not looking at her, his eyes still focused on the sleeping brunette.

"I'm afraid not, sir. She's stable, though. And her vitals are strong."

There's a moment of silence as Coulson takes a seat on the opposite side of the bed. He takes Skye's hand in his, and finally looks up at Jemma.

"You need to get some rest. I'll stay with her tonight."

Jemma nods and offers him a small smile, already knowing that arguing will be pointless. Furthermore, she's absolutely sure that Fitz told him she had kicked him out of the room earlier that afternoon, just so she could stay longer and spend more time with Skye.

"Well, if you don't need anything else, then..." she sighs, reluctant to leave Skye's bedside. She leans down and places a light kiss on Skye's forehead before murmuring a soft "good night" to her.

She's halfway through the door, when she hears a familiar voice that makes her heart skip a beat.

"But I just woke up, why are you kissing me good night?"


	2. Snow White

**A/N:** This is purely just fluff. But given what happened last episode, I think we could all use more of that. I'm not sure how many chapters this one's going to be, so I guess it'll probably depend on the response it gets? I can either end it here or keep going, since I do have more in store. *evil grin* Enjoy! :) 

* * *

_Dear Skye,_

_It's been 168 hours, or 10080 minutes or 604800 seconds, since you finally woke up. And nearly gave me a heart attack, but that is irrelevant._

_And I must say, you've been recovering amazingly fast for someone who's been shot twice. But then again, I am not entirely surprised. You are a strong girl, after all. I've always known that._

_For reasons that escape my comprehension, Fitz has taken to comparing you to Snow White, claiming that the hyperbaric chamber that saved your life resembles the glass coffin the dwarves put her in._

_And then he insists that I'm your prince (or rather, princess) Charming._

_He says the story fits, I say it's nonsense. My kiss did not wake you up. _  
_It was a coincidence._

_Fairy tales are not real. Everybody knows that. Because if they were, rest assured that this is not how the story would have gone._

* * *

"Jemma?"

She jumps on her seat, startled by the sound of Skye's voice. Jemma scrunches up her nose, thinking that Skye seems to be making a habit out of scaring the living daylights out of her, but she's quickly pulled out of her thoughts by a soft tug on her sleeve.

She looks up from her notebook to find Skye staring at her, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of amusement. "Hey. What are you doing?"

"Oh, waiting for you to wake up, of course," Jemma promptly answers, closing her notebook and carelessly tossing it into her bag before Skye can ask her about it, or worse, see something she shouldn't. She takes Skye's hand in hers and gives it a light squeeze. "How are you feeling?"

"Like death," Skye's playful smirk instantly disappears when Jemma visibly cringes at her answer and tightens her grip on her hand, a hundred emotions swirling in her eyes as she looks at Skye.

"Sorry, that was a terrible joke. I'm sorry, Jemma."

"You are a heartless girl, Skye."

"I think the word you're looking for is _gutless_. Ow! Hey!" Skye winces when Jemma smacks her arm and then pulls her hand away, leaving Skye's palm feeling tingly and cold.

But now Jemma is fuming, and Skye knows she's done it.

"How about reckless and selfish?" Jemma says. She's stood up from the chair and is now pacing frantically around the small room, and Skye thinks that if looks could kill, she would most definitely be dead by now, and this time, there would be no coming back from it.

"It is bad enough that you almost die on us, _on me_, and now you are making jokes about it? Do you have _any_ idea of what we went through trying to save you? Death is _not_ a laughing matter, Skye."

"Jemma…," Skye tries to get her attention, but to no avail. Jemma keeps pacing and rambling about tissue damage, and blood loss, and serums and… Did she just say "glass coffin"?

"_Simmons!_"

Jemma finally stops and stares at Skye, her anger quickly transforming into concern as she scans Skye's face for any signs of pain or discomfort.

"I'm sorry," Skye says. "I was just trying to lighten up the mood, you know? You guys keep acting like I actually did die, and it kinda freaks me out a bit."

Jemma lets out a soft sigh and moves to sit back down on her chair. Skye, not missing a beat, reaches for her hand and laces their fingers together, finding that Jemma's warm skin is more soothing and comforting than any painkiller.

"And what was that about a glass coffin?" Skye asks in an attempt to change the subject and distract Jemma.

"_Hyperbaric chamber_ is the correct technical name," Jemma immediately answers her. "Fitz thought you looked like Snow White, and the comparison seemed appropriated. I think he was just trying to, you know… lighten up the mood."

There's a small smirk tugging at the corners of Jemma's lips, one that Skye finds too adorable and far too irresistible for her own good, and so she tugs at her hand, making puppy eyes at Jemma.

"Come cuddle me? Come on, I almost died. I think I earned it."

Jemma nearly chokes on air and her cheeks turn bright red, but she still complies and carefully climbs to bed, positioning herself in a way that allows Skye to rest her head on her shoulder.

"So if I'm Snow White," Skye says, and that mischievous grin of hers is back on her face, wreaking havoc on Jemma's heart. "Does that make you prince Charming? I mean, I did wake up after you kissed me."

Jemma's cheeks turn an even deeper shade of red, and she crinkles her nose, squeezing her eyes shut for a second as she tries to compose herself so as to not sound like a stuttering mess.

"Ah, that's so funny!" Jemma finally blurts out. "Fitz said the same thing. You two should have a talk about fairy tales, maybe over a cuppa tea? Once you are back on the bus, of course. The tea served at hospitals is atrocious."

Skye tilts her head up and raises her eyebrows at Jemma. "Are you nervous? Am I making you nervous?"

"What? No, of course not, Skye," Jemma says, trying to sound as nonchalant as she can while patting Skye's forearm to reassure her. She clears her throat and looks down at Skye, whose gaze is fixed on her, her eyes showing an array of emotions that make Jemma's heart begin to race.

"You did save my life, though," Skye insists. "And yeah, maybe the kiss didn't wake me up, but it was _you_ who literally brought me back to life."

At that, Jemma ungracefully snorts and then shakes her head. "I think your doctor, along with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entire medical team, would beg to differ."

"No," Skye mumbles as she pushes herself just that bit closer to Jemma until she is able to rest her head against her chest. As exhaustion finally hits her, she closes her eyes and lets out a contented sigh. "It was you."

Jemma waits until she's absolutely sure that Skye has fallen asleep, and then very lightly presses her lips against the top of her head, murmuring a soft "good night, princess" to her.

* * *

When Ward and Fitz walk into Skye's hospital room, hours later, they find both girls completely asleep, Skye's head on Jemma's chest and one hand clinging to her sweater.

They both look at each other, and without saying a single word, they exit the room.


	3. Home

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for the incredible response I've gotten with this story. Hopefully this chapter will live up to everyone's expectations? It's not as fluffy as the previous ones, but hey, we get to learn a tad bit more about Skye's past. Enjoy! :)

* * *

_Dear Skye,_

_It's been 240 hours, or 144000 minutes or 864000 seconds, since your doctor finally discharged you from hospital and allowed us to move you back to the bus._

_He wasn't exactly thrilled about it and he even dared say that a plane is not the most adequate place to recover from a bullet wound. As if our bus wasn't perfectly well equipped with all the necessary instruments and technology! This man should be ashamed of himself._

_Regardless, Coulson made sure to put him in his right place and here you are now, finally home, and all settled._

_I'm still in charge of monitoring your vitals, and your recovery in general, so here I am, watching you while you're asleep. To make sure everything is alright, of course. There are no ulterior motives whatsoever._

_Okay, maybe just a tiny one._

_I am not entirely sure you are aware of this, but you keep waking up screaming in the middle of the night, and I believe it is as a result of the extreme trauma you've suffered. Or simply put, you are scared._

_So if I'm trying to fulfill my prince(ss) Charming duties of keeping your demons at bay, who can blame me, really?_

* * *

"You know, I didn't know you were a writer," Skye says, playfully prodding Jemma's thigh with her foot. She's comfortably lying on the couch, all wrapped up in fluffy blankets, with Jemma dutifully sitting on the other end, keeping her company.

All the while, Skye's been surreptitiously watching Jemma write for the past twenty minutes, and her curiosity has finally gotten the best of her.

"Hm?" Jemma distractedly tries to push Skye's foot away before raising her head to meet her eyes. "Oh, you mean this silly little notebook? I'm not, really. I'm just scribbling down some notes, that's all."

"You've been writing on that thing for days," Skye points. "Can I see?"

"No. No, you may not."

"Why? Is it like a diary or something? Where you write all your deepest, darkest little secrets?" Skye teases her, and she even has the audacity to wiggle her eyebrows at her.

"Dark little secrets," Jemma scoffs, trying to hide the blush she can feel creeping up her cheeks. "I do not have any dark little secrets, thank you very much."

"Then why don't you let me see?"

"Clearly, the concept of 'private' is completely lost on you, isn't it." Doing her damnedest to ignore Skye's pout, Jemma closes the notebook and sets it down on the coffee table in front of her, knowing full well that Skye won't be able to reach it.

"Wait, were you writing about me?"

"_Skye!_"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry," Skye holds her hands up in mock surrender, but she can't help the mischievous grin that tugs at the corners of her lips when she notices the faint blush still present on Jemma's cheeks.

"I bet you wish I had a full name you could call me by," Skye chuckles.

"Do you? Have a full name, I mean." Jemma is now staring intently at Skye, her eyes filled with curiosity and some other emotion Skye can't quite put her finger on, but that makes her heart skip a beat and the butterflies in her stomach go crazy.

"Everyone has a name," Skye answers evasively. "And if you don't come with one, someone will pick it for you."

"Oh, you mean one of the nuns at Saint Agnes?"

Skye's head snaps up and now she's the one doing the intense staring. "I only talked to Ward about that. How do you know?"

"I… may or may not have perused through your file. For science."

"I have a file?!"

"Everyone has a file, Skye."

"So what does mine say?"

"Not much, actually. Only that you grew up at the Saint Agnes Orphanage and that you had several foster families until you finally left the system at the age of eighteen." Jemma mercifully leaves out the part that details how all said families had ended up sending Skye back to the orphanage after only weeks.

There's a brief moment of silence before Skye finally shrugs, like none of that is a big deal. Like none of that actually hurts for more reasons than she could ever put into words.

"I never liked my name. It didn't fit. So when I learned how to hack into systems, that was the first thing I changed."

"Well, for what is worth, I think Skye is a lovely name," Jemma says, awkwardly patting Skye's leg and earning an amused smirk from her.

"Thank you," Skye says, and when Jemma smiles at her almost shyly, she feels a warmth she's sure she's never felt before

"For everything, I mean. You saved my life and you've been with me every step of the way, and that means a lot."

Jemma shakes her head and moves from her spot on the couch to sit next to Skye, softly nudging her so she can make room for her. "Just do me a favor, and don't ever get shot again. It's such a hassle, really."

At that, Skye laughs, and it's the most real, genuine laugh Jemma's heard her in weeks, and it makes her beam, proud to be the one to have gotten such reaction.

"You know," Skye says, once the laughter has subsided. "It's funny how I spent so many years of my life looking for a family, _my_ family, and it turns out, it's been there all along."

Jemma tilts her head, a small frown forming on her face as she tries to understand Skye's words. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"You guys are my family. And this is home," Skye says, almost matter-of-factly, as if the answer should be as obvious and clear to Jemma as it is to her now.

Jemma's frown deepens and she's positive that, that is not the right answer to her question, but just when she's about to point it out, Skye leans over and kisses her cheek.

"_You_ are home."


	4. Second chance

_Dear Skye,_

_It's been 336 hours, or 20160 minutes or 1209660 seconds since we brought you home from hospital, and I am more than thrilled to say that the progress you've made on your recovery has been quite remarkable._

_…Minus that one time about a week ago when you nearly gave me a stroke when you woke me up in the middle of the night because you weren't feeling too well, and your temperature was ridiculously high. A rather nasty side effect to your medication, but nothing to be overly concerned about._

_Except that I am. _  
_Awfully concerned. To the point where I can't even sleep properly anymore._

_You are not the only one who has nightmares about death and blood and stupid hyperbaric chambers. I have them, too._

_Because my heart stopped when yours did._  
_Because you are my heart, Skye._

_And I can't lose you again._

* * *

"Skye? Do you have a minute?"

Skye looks up from her tablet when she hears Jemma's voice, and a smile instantly forms on her lips when she spots her standing at the doorframe of her bunk. She puts her tablet down on the nightstand and turns her full attention to Jemma.

"What's up?"

Jemma nervously fidgets with the hem of her sweater before finally moving to sit down on the bed next to Skye. She gently presses her palm against Skye's forehead, checking her temperature, only to have her hand swatted away.

"Simmons,_ I'm fine_. You don't have to do that every five minutes, you know."

"Well, not every five minutes, no, but definitely every two hours. I am supposed to report back to your doctor if your temperature rises."

"Which it hasn't _in days_. Stop being such a Worry Warthog."

"When it comes to you? Never."

Skye softly chuckles and before Jemma can pull her hand away, she takes it in hers and laces their fingers together, her thumb slowly rubbing circles on her palm.

Jemma doesn't mind in the slightest, they've been doing this for days now and she's more than used to it. Skye has become some sort of cuddle monster since she came back from hospital, and Jemma understands. She's clearly experiencing some form of PTSD and if holding hands and cuddling helps her, then who is she to complain? Not that she would. Ever.

So when Skye snuggles into her side and rests her head on Jemma's shoulder, she allows it, needing the comforting, reassuring contact just as much as Skye does.

"You're blushing," Skye's soft voice suddenly breaks the comfortable silence they had found themselves in, making Jemma almost jump on her spot and Skye giggle childishly at her reaction.

"I am most certainly not," Jemma says, and then she scrunches up her nose because now she knows she is. She can _feel_ it.

Bloody hell, this girl.

"I think it's cute." And when Jemma turns to glare at Skye, ready to scold her, the words die on her lips when she's met with big, deep brown eyes that are staring at her with such intensity that it makes her mind go fuzzy.

Next thing she knows, she is leaning in, her lips barely ghosting over Skye's…

"Simmons?" Ward clears his throat, eyebrows raised questioningly as he stands at the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest.

Jemma pulls away from Skye so fast, that Skye barely has time to react and avoid falling off the small bed.

"Y-Yes, agent Ward?"

"We're ready," he simply says, a hint of amusement in his voice as he points to something behind his back before turning around and leaving.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Skye asks, eyes narrowing suspiciously at Jemma.

"You will see. Come on, now! Let's get going, shall we?" Jemma is beaming, her cheeks still flushed pink as she holds her hand out for Skye to take, gently pulling her to her feet.

"You're not gonna put a bag over my head, are you?"

"Skye," Jemma scoffs, "of course not. That is only for when we bring in suspects for questioning."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!"

Jemma rolls her eyes and then stops, turning around to face Skye. "Close your eyes, please," she instructs.

Skye is not amused by this, but she complies anyway. Jemma then wraps one arm around her waist and carefully guides her all the way to the lounge, checking on her every few steps to make sure she's not peeking.

"Alright, here we are! You can open your eyes now."

And when Skye does, a small gasp escapes her at the scene in front of her. The team has gathered in the lounge, which is heavily decorated with at least a dozen balloons and a gigantic sign with the words **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SKYE!** on it.

"Wha- But my birthday is not until-"

"Tomorrow, I know. But technically, it _is_ tomorrow already."

"How did you-"

"Know? I did mention I had gone through your file, didn't I?"

And after that, Skye is left speechless for what Jemma believes it's the first time in her life. She places a hand on the small of Skye's back and softly pushes her forward, so she can meet with the rest of the team.

What follows are endless hugs and happy birthday wishes, presents and cake, and Skye is sure she has never been happier or felt more loved than she does right now. This is what family feels like, and now she finally knows it.

It's only when Jemma stands up and makes her way to the kitchen to get more pretzels ("_Again_, Fitz? This is your third bowl. Don't you have any self control?") that Skye excuses herself and follows her in silence.

She watches her move around the kitchenette, and decides to seize her chance, wrapping her arms around Jemma's waist from behind and placing a tender kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you," she whispers in her ear.

"Hm? For the pretzels? You're very welcome, Skye. Just don't let Fitz hog the bowl next time."

"Not the pretzels, everything. I know this was your idea."

"You got a second chance, Skye, and that doesn't happen very often in our line of work. So we had to celebrate it properly."

"With cake?"

"Yes, with cake. And balloons. A birthday party is not a birthday party unless there are ba-"

But Jemma never gets the chance to finish because all of a sudden, Skye turns her around and kisses her with everything she has. Her hands move to cup Jemma's face, her thumbs caressing her cheekbones as she slowly kisses her one, two, three times, savoring the moment.

Only when Jemma pulls back to catch her breath, Skye reluctantly does the same, pressing her forehead against Jemma's as a mischievous smile begins to form on her lips.

"You are blushing," Skye says, and Jemma just laughs.


	5. Dear Jemma

**A/N:** This was supposed to be the last chapter, but by the time I'd typed out the last few words, I realized it was going to be way too long. So I split it up in two and left you with a nice cliffhanger. You're welcome. :)  
Also, all mistakes are Skye's, not mine.

* * *

_Dear Jemma_

_I'm really bad at this, like REALLY bad. I don't even remember when was the last time I wrote someone a letter. or that I actually used a pen and a piece of paper to write. It's always easier when you type stuff down on your computer, but somehow that didn't feel right this time._

_Some things look better when you write them yourself instead of a computer._  
_You know what I mean._

_or not because I suck at this_

_okay, __so the thing is__ what I'm trying to say is that I love you._  
_I've been meaning to tell you that for a while but I can't find the right time because we're always so damn busy and there's so much going on  
_  
_so I figured that if I can't tell you personally, I might as well try with a letter?_

_I don't know I've never written a love letter in my life. Mostly because I don't think I had ever fallen in love before. Sure there was Miles but looking back, that wasn't really love, you know._

_and I probably shouldn't be talking about my ex when I'm supposed to be telling YOU how much I love you_

_see, I'm TERRIBLE at this stuff_

* * *

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Skye rips the sheet of paper from the notebook and crumples it in her hand, carelessly tossing it onto the floor. When she looks behind her shoulder to see where it landed, she frowns at the small pile of paper balls that now covers half of the floor in her bunk.

"Are you still working on that letter?" Ward asks as he leans against the doorframe of Skye's bunk, eyebrows raised in what can only be described as amusement.

"Yes. No. I don't know," Skye answers, letting herself flop onto the bed with another, more dramatic, sigh. "I've tried like a hundred times and I just can't get the right words out. _Help me_," she pleads, her eyes wide open as she looks at Ward with desperation.

"Hey, don't look at me. I couldn't help you even if I wanted to," Ward answers, holding his hands up and shaking his head. "Why don't you just talk to her?"

"I tried! But every time I open my mouth, something _always_ happens and interrupts me."

"Or you could ask her out and tell her."

"You don't think I've tried that, too? Last time we were out on a date, _you_ called saying that we had to get back to the BUS immediately. So much for having the night off," Skye mutters.

"Don't blame me for that, I was following orders," Ward rolls his eyes, exasperated. "Just… try again. I still think the best approach in this situation is for you to talk to Jemma directly."

"Talk to me about what?" Jemma asks as she steps into Skye's bunk, curiosity written all over her face when her eyes land on the pile of paper balls.

_Crap._

"Skye here has some vital information she would like to share with you," Ward offers, seeing as Skye apparently has gone mute.

"Oh? About what, exactly?"

"Why don't I leave you two alone to discuss it?" He says with a smirk on his face as he quickly exits the small bunk.

Jemma frowns in confusion and then turns to face Skye, who is now nervously chewing on her bottom lip.

"Is everything alright, Skye? What kind of information do you have?"

When Skye doesn't answer, Jemma worriedly sits down next to her on the bed and presses her palm flat against her forehead, earning a soft chuckle from Skye, who instantly tries to push her hand away.

"You're never gonna stop doing that, are you?"

"No," Jemma shakes her head as she lets her fingertips delicately brush against Skye's cheek and down her neck, gently pushing her long hair behind her shoulder. "Now would you tell me please what was Ward talking about? Because if this is of vital importance to our mission, I would like to-"

But before she can finish her sentence, Skye leans in and her soft lips erase with ease any and all thoughts from Jemma's mind, rendering her completely useless. All she can do is place her hand on the back of Skye's neck and pull her closer, trying to make the moment last for as long as possible.

"You talk too much," Skye mumbles against Jemma's lips in between kisses.

"And you not the enough," Jemma retorts before kissing the tip of Skye's nose and pulling back. She raises her eyebrows questioningly, and Skye knows she's waiting for an answer.

"I'm not hiding anything from you, I swear. It's not about that. And I didn't get sick, either. So no need to worry, I feel great, I promise. I was just trying to find the right time, because we're both always so busy and…"

"Skye."

"…we barely have any free time to do something or go somewhere, so I've been trying to…"

"_Skye._"

"…talk to you for a while now, but something always happens and I never get to, so I even tried to write you a letter because I thought it would be an easier way to tell you that…"

"SKYE."

"…that I love you."


	6. The notebook

**A/N:** Thank you to all of you who've followed/favorited this story, and here's hoping I didn't screw up the ending! (and if I did, please kindly let me know. Emphasis on the _kindly_). So without further ado, here's the last chapter. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Silence fills the bunk as seconds tick by, and Skye awkwardly shifts on the bed as she stares at a wide eyed Jemma.

"You do?" Jemma finally answers, her voice barely a whisper. She instantly shakes her head as a soft chuckle escapes her, cheeks now flushed pink. "Of course you do, you just said so, didn't you?"

"Is that what this is all about?" She then asks, pointing at the ridiculous amount of paper balls scattered all over the floor.

Skye grimaces and moves a little closer to Jemma, so she can hide her face in the curve of her neck. "I was trying to write you a love letter."

Jemma's eyes go wide again, this time with surprise, and she really can't help the fit of giggles that follows, much to Skye's embarrassment.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" Jemma finally manages to say between giggles. But when Skye playfully smacks her shoulder, Jemma wraps her arms around Skye's waist and soundly kisses her forehead. "Love letters are not exactly your style. So what prompted this?"

Skye simply shrugs, face still hidden from sight. "I've been trying to talk to you for ages, but something always comes up, so…"

Lifting her head, Skye chews on her bottom lip as she carefully studies Jemma's face, the faintest of smiles tugging at the corners of her lips when Jemma tenderly tucks some loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"You didn't say it back," Skye points out, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.

Cupping Skye's face, Jemma leans in and kisses her, softly murmuring "I love you, silly girl" against Skye's lips, only to let out a surprised squeak when Skye throws her arms around her neck and pulls her closer, causing the both of them to fall back against the mattress.

"That wasn't so bad," Skye mumbles as she presses her lips against the bridge of Jemma's nose, her arms firmly holding her against her body.

There is a moment of silence before Jemma finally looks up at Skye, a smirk on her lips. "I was hoping to do this in a more… _romantic_ way, but I suppose now is as good a time as ever."

Not without effort, Jemma carefully disentangles herself from Skye and stands up, leaving a very much confused Skye still curled up on the bed. "Where are you going?"

"Just give me a minute, please. I have something I would like to show to you."

But before Skye can even open her mouth to answer, Jemma has already disappeared through the door.

* * *

When Jemma finally returns, she finds Skye sprawled on the bed, staring blankly at the roof, and it is not until she sits down next to her that she turns her head to look at her.

"Here," Jemma says, holding out her infamous notebook for Skye to take.

"You're giving me your notebook?" Skye asks, confusion written all over her face as she debates whether she should take it or not.

"That was the plan all along." But when Skye continues to hesitate, Jemma rolls her eyes rather impatiently and sets the notebook down next to Skye. "I want you to read it, Skye. Everything that is written in there is for you."

"You mean, love letters?"

"I guess you could call them that, yes. Now if you'll excuse me," Jemma briefly brushes her lips against Skye's and then rises to her feet, her hands moving to smooth her blouse down as she speaks. "I have samples to analyze and if I don't start right now, it will take all night. And we don't want that, do we." Shooting Skye a playful smirk, she turns around and leaves.

Skye frowns, tentatively opening the notebook and flipping through the pages with curiosity. Each page is a carefully written letter, except for the few first ones, she notes. Jemma's penmanship is not as clear and tidy, and when she sees the dates in those letters, it dawns on her that Jemma must have written them while she was still recovering at the hospital.

She spends the remaining of the afternoon curled up on her bed with the notebook, completely oblivious to the outer world. And it's not until she reaches the very last page that she realizes the sun has almost set, leaving her bunk in shadows.

Skye reaches over to turn on her lamp and somewhat anxiously begins to read the last letter on Jemma's notebook.

_Dear Skye,_

_I've lost count of how many days, or minutes or seconds, it's been since you came back home. It was a rather childish way to help mitigate the pain of having to wait for you to wake up, a distraction of sorts. Now I no longer need it._

_You are whole again, you are home, and you are safe._

_I do, however, still keep a close eye on your heart. It has become an addiction of mine to make sure it's still beating. To make sure that this is not one of my dreadful nightmares again and that I won't wake up to an empty bed._

_Your heart is the most important thing in the world to me, Skye._

_And I could very well write a dissertation about chemical reactions and how this can all be explained in terms of biochemistry, but none of it would matter. _  
_None of it would make sense._

_The only thing that matters, what does makes sense, what makes every piece of the puzzle fit into its right place, is how much I love you._

_You are my heart, Skye. _  
_The very reason why I feel more alive than I've ever felt before._

_And maybe I am being selfish, because I need your heart to keep beating so mine can do the same. But I promise you this, I will do everything that I can to keep yours alive, to keep it safe. Just like I've done it before. If you'd let me, that is._

_And for God's sake, don't you dare almost die on me ever again._  
_I can't do this without you. There's no point in being Prince(ss) Charming if there is no Princess at the end of the story to have a happy ending with._

_I love you, Skye. _  
_More than a silly lot of letters will ever be able to express._

_Yours,_  
_Jemma_

* * *

"I love you, too," Skye says, wrapping her arms around Jemma's waist from behind, and placing a soft kiss on the back of her neck.

Jemma then carefully turns around in Skye's arms, and cups her face, pressing their foreheads together as the tips of their noses touch, making Skye giggle and Jemma's heart swell at the sound.

Needless to say, the samples remain forgotten until the next day.


End file.
